President Donald Trump continued Sunday to promote the use of a drug used to treat malaria in the fight against the deadly COVID-19 virus.
During a press briefing with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Trump was asked about the potential of using hydroxychloroquine for patients infected with the virus. He pushed back on claims that he is playing doctor and said he wants to see if the drug will work.
"What do you have to lose? I'm not looking at it one way or another. But we want to get out of this. If it does work, it would be a shame if we didn't do it early," Trump said.
"What do I know? I'm not a doctor. But I have common sense."
Trump announced during the press conference that the U.S. has secured 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine. The FDA gave the drug emergency-use authorization and is stepping up testing for use on coronavirus patients.
Some studies have indicated that hydroxychloroquine could be successful at treating people with the virus, but some medical experts — including Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of Trump's virus task force — have urged caution.
"The data are really just at best suggestive," Fauci said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday morning. "There have been cases that show there may be an effect and there are others to show there's no effect. So I think in terms of science, I don't think we could definitively say it works."
At Sunday's press briefing, Trump added, "I want people to live, and I'm seeing people dying."
Axios reported that the issue of promoting hydroxychloroquine is a tense one within the White House. During a meeting Saturday, a tense showdown occurred between White House trade adviser Peter Navarro and Fauci when the subject was brought up.
Navarro reportedly raised his voice when Fauci expressed doubt at the results of several studies Navarro brought to the group.
"That's science, not anecdote," Navarro said to Fauci, Axios reported.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.